NORWALK -- Stamford native Carl Peter Gallo is Norwalk American Legion's June veteran of the month.

Gallo was honored with a flag-raising ceremony at American Legion Post 12, as the flag honoring last month's veteran, Joseph P. Lorenti Sr., was taken down and carefully folded by Norwalk JROTC members.

Gallo entered Army service in August 1957, deployed in Germany, and served until August 1960, when he was honorably discharged.

Gallo was born at Stamford Hospital in August 1940 to Peter and Louise Vacca Gallo. He attended Belltown Elementary School, Dolan Junior High School and J. M. Wright Technical High School, all in Stamford.

In civilian life, Gallo owned the Dry Dock Café on Main Street in Norwalk for over 34 years, said Leo Motyka, Chairman of the House Committee of the Norwalk Veterans Memorial Committee, in an address at the ceremony.

"The place was kind of like Cheers, where everybody knew your name," Motyka said.

Mayor Harry Rilling addressed the crowd, invoking D-Day, which was on Saturday.

"It was the beginning of the end of World War II, and the beginning of a new freedom" for the United States, Rilling said in the address.